WITH stunning countryside and lower than average levels of light and noise pollution, those of us living and working in the Yorkshire Dales now just how tranquil a place this special area can be; and now a unique survey of the peace and quiet available in all parts of England has placed North Yorkshire third in the tranquillity stakes, says a report issued today by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The CPRE, which is celebrating its 80th birthday this year, has a long record of studying the good and bad aspects of country life - from work to protect the landscape to the lack of rural services - but no-one before has attempted to measure one of the countryside's greatest treasures, its tranquillity.

Saying that the Government "recognises the value of countryside tranquillity but does little to preserve it," the campaign commissioned researchers from the universities of Newcastle and Northumbria to try to quantify this elusive quality throughout England.

Cpre map of tranquil Yorkshire
Crown copyright. All rights reserved.
The Countryside Agency 2006. Licence No. 100018881.

They consulted some 1,300 countryside users and by inputting the information gathered into computers using geographical information systems technology came up with a unique countrywide tranquillity map, part of which we reproduce here.

North Yorkshire came third for its tranquil surroundings, behind Northumberland and Cumbria.

Says CPRE Chief Executive Shaun Spiers: "Tranquillity is one of the greatest benefits we get from the countryside. But tranquil areas are shrinking and fragmenting…Our new mapping method gives us a practical, reliable method of showing where tranquil places can still be found.

"This is the start of our campaign to persuade national and local government, planners, developers, business and public bodies to start using it in order to safeguard tranquil areas for the future and even enhance them."